Liquid fuel feed system



Jan. 31, 1956 K- s. JENSON ET AL 2,732,391

LIQUID FUEL FEED SYSTEM Filed June 15, 1951 INVENTORS. [fame/f2ad's/25012 BY ZflZ/ZZB J2 iZedaa/z MZMMZ k LIQUID FUEL FEED SYSTEMKenneth S. Jenson and Willis N. Nelson, Wisconsin Rapids, ,Wis.,assignors to Preway Inc, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., a corporation ofWisconsin Application June 15, 1951, Serial No. 231,858

4 Claims. (Cl. 15836.6)

This invention relates to a liquid fuel feed system for oil burnersandthe like. A primary purpose is to provide for use of a drum ofsubstantial capacity from which liquid fuel is delivered through a feedpipe by siphonic action to a burner, for replacement of the drum, whenempty, by a fuel-full drum without spillage or loss of fuel "in anyamount, and for restoration of the siphonic condition in the feed pipeas an incident to such replacement. In such a fuel feed system there isno refilling, occasional or otherwise, of any fuel tank fixedlyconnected to the heater, range, or the like, with the attendant firehazard that always accompanies such an operation.

his a further purpose of this invention to utilize a fuel feed systemhaving a siphon tube whose short arm extends from a point close to thedrum bottom upwardly through a filler opening at its top and thencelaterally and downwardly to provide a long arm which depends through theopen upper end of a stand-pipe to a point below the drum bottom, a feedtube extending from the stand-pipe at its bottom to a constant levelvalve which controls the fuel flow rate to the burner. Such a siphontube carries at the lower end of its short arm a priming pump operable,with reciprocations of the siphon tube, to lift fuel from the drum tothe top end of its short armfro m whence it may flow laterally anddownwardly through its long arm into the stand-pipe for delivery thereinto at a point below the drum bottom. By such an operation, a siphoniccondition is restored to the fuel feed system so that the flow of liquidtherethrough proceeds automatically thereafter.

' A suggestive embodiment of this invention in a practical and efiicientform is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a heater equipped with the presentfeed system operatively connected to a drum containing liquid fuel in asubstantial amount;

' Fig. 2 which is a similar view wherein the fuel supply drum is removedand the disconnected siphon tube of the feed system is shifted to a restposition;

Fig. 3 is a vertical elevational view of the fuel supply drum and itssupporting rack, with portions of the drum and of the stand-pipe insection to show certain parts therewithin;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail in vertical section of the priming pumpthat is carried at the lower end of the short arm of the siphon tube;and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail in perspective of the upper end of thesiphon tube and of the drip pan associated therewith.

The present fuel feed system is illustrated in connection with a heaterH mounted on a base B from which rises a stand to provide a supportingrack R, preferably at the heater rear side. This rack comprises avertical n 1ounting"wall 6 with outturned end walls 7 and 8 extendingalong its opposite margins. A plate hook 9 is afiixed'to the mountingwall near its top.

The fuel supply drum D chosen by way of example is United States Patent0 a familiar five-gallon container of elongated cross-section and formedwith a bottom 10 and with a filler opening 11 near one end of its top. Ahinged lid 12, when swung down, is arranged to cover this opening and touncover it fully when swung up and back into a position of rest againstan inclined wall 14 to which is joined one end of each of severalparallel bars 15 constituting a multiplebar handle for the drum. Theopposite ends of the handle bars are joined to an upstanding wall 16near the proximate end of the drum. Such a fuel container is adapted tobe carried upon the supporting rack R in operative relation to alocating means such as the end wall 7, when one of its handle bars 15 isrested on the plate hook 9; when so suspended, the drum requires only anoperative connection to a fuel feed system leading to the burner (notshown) in the heater H in order that the latter may start functioning.

The problem here presented and effectively solved is the provision ofsuch a fuel feed system having a siphon tube equipped with a primingpump to produce a siphonic condition which will assure a continuous feedof fuel from the drum so long as the supply lasts, which is facile foroperative disconnection from an empty drum, with avoidance of any dripor spillage, for operative connection with a replacement drum that isoil-full ready for use, and wherein the siphon tube may be used as ahandle to effect reciprocations of the priming pump to re-establish inthe feed system a siphonic condition which may be depended upon toassure a continuous feed of fuel from the drum to the heater burner.

As herein shown, a constant level valve 20 is interposed in the fuelfeed system between a tube 21 leading to the burner in the heater H anda feed tube 22 which is joined to a stand-pipe 25 close to its bottom.The housing which contains the constant level valve is carried upon themounting wall 6. of the rack R, and the stand-pipe is also aifixed tothis rack adjacent its end wall 8 so as to be fixedly supported therebyin a vertical position. The upper end of the stand-pipe which is openterminates at a level which is higher than that of the liquid fuelwithin the drum D, when full.

With such a stand-pipe we utilize a siphon tube in the general form ofan inverted U having two vertical arms of unequal length which join attheir tops with a horizontal connecting section 30. The short verticalarm 31 of the siphon tube carries at its lower end a priming pump P thatis adapted to enter the filler opening 11 at the top of the drum D andoccupy a position therein that is normally adjacent its bottom 10 (seeFig. 3), whereas the long vertical arm 32 is depended into thestand-pipe 25 to extend downwardly therein nearly to its bottom end. Inthe lowermost vertical position of the siphon tube, which may be fixedby engagement of its priming pump P with the drum bottom 10, theconnecting section 30 stands in the clear slightly above the supportingrack R so as to be conveniently accessible for manipulation (see Fig. 1)when it is desired to operate the priming pump P. A cross brace 33 isfixedly extended between the short and long arms 31 and 32 of the siphontube, slightly below its connecting section 30, for purposes ofreinforcement.

The priming pump P comprises a cylinder 35 (see Fig. 4) having at itstop a head 36 that is afiixed to the lower end of the short arm 31 ofthe siphon tube; a cap 37 at the bottom of the cylinder formedtherethrough with an inlet opening across which is a screen 33; anelongated hollow piston 39 having a relatively large mass siidablymounted in the cylinder and yieldingly supported in the upper regionthereof by a compression spring 4%) extending between the bottoms of thepiston and'cylinder; and at the bottom end of the piston 21 check valve41 which acts to pass liquid therethroughin an upward direction only, Anotched stop flange 42 depends from the cylinder bottom to engage thedrum bottom when the priming pump P has advanced to its lowermostposition. A priming pump so constructed and mounted will manifestly act,when operated in response to reciprocations of the siphon tube, to liftliquid fuel from within the drum and fill the siphon tube therewith forits full length, thereby creating the necessary siphonic condition for acontinuous automatic fuel feed thereafter. In all such reciprocationsthe stand-pipe serves as a guide to assure that the siphon tubemovements will proceed vertically and not otherwise.

' It will be seen that upon reaching the downward limit of movement ofthe siphon tube in one reciprocation, the momentum of the hollow pistonwill carry it to the bottom of the cylinder compressing the yieldablespring. Oil will flow through the check valve into the hollow area ofthe piston. At the upper limit of movement of the siphon tube in onereciprocation, the momentum of the hollow piston will move it to itsupper limit of movement, as aided by the spring under the piston, andwill carry the volume of oil within the hollow area of the piston alongtherewith. On the next reciprocation and at the bottom of the stroke ofthe siphon tube, the momentum of the piston will again carry it downwardin the cylinder. As this occurs, fuel in the cylinder beneath the pistonwill flow through the check valve to replace the fuel formerly withinthe hollow piston which is left behind by the piston as it movesdownwardly.

These operations continue upon successive reciprocatious of the siphontube until such time as the siphon tube becomes filled and then the flowof the fuel through the tube will continue because the liquid will tendto seek its own level.

Afi'lxedto the top end of the stand-pipe 25 is an elongated drip pan 45having in its bottom a hole 46 through which is freely extended the longarm 32 of the siphon tube. This hole is coaxial with the open top of thestandpipe therebelow so that any liquid collecting in the pan will drainout into the stand-pipe. The drip pan is desirably provided along onewall with an outturned flange 47 for securing the pan to a top flange 48of the mount ing rack in a fixed position close to the short arm 31 ofthe siphon tube when the fuel feed system is connected up for operation.

When an empty drum D is to be removed, the siphon tube is raised to liftwith it the priming pump P which,

when clear of the drum, is swung around the stand-pipe as an axisthrough the few degrees necessary to position the priming pump over thedrip pan. At this point, the siphon tube is lowered to permit the bottomend of the priming pump to rest in the drip pan where it may remain aslong as necessary for replacement of the empty drum with one that isfull. Thereafter the priming pump is raised, swung around to a positionover the filler opening 11, then lowered into the drum, and then'reciprocated a few times with the siphon tube as the operating medium torestore to the fuel feed system the siphonic condition that is reliedupon to assure a continuous fuel feed to the heater. A lid 50 in theform of a shallow cup having an outturned marginal flange is providedwith a center opening to receive therethrough the short arm 31 of thesiphon tube. This lid slips freely along the siphon tube to a positionof rest over the filler opening 11 to provide a closure therefor.

We claim:

1. In combination with a heater supported on a base, a stand risingfixedly from the base, suspension means carried by the stand forreleasable upright support thereon of a portable liquid fuel drum havinga top filler opening, a vertical stand-pipe secured in a fixed verticalposition to the stand and connected at its lower end with the heater,

1 the upper end of the stand-pipe being open, a siphon tube having along vertical arm loosely receivable within the standrpipe for asubstantial portion of its length and a short downwardly extendingvertical arm loosely receivable within the drum through the filleropening thereof, and a priming pump operable by vertical reciprocationthereof having an inlet opening at its bottom, the lower end of theshort arm ofsaid tube being affixed to the upper end of said pump andcommunicating therewith, said pump being adapted to be positionedthereby within the drum toward its bottom, the siphon tube affording anoperating element for reciprocating the priming pump vertically withinthe drum to force liquid fuel therein to rise and flow through thesiphon tube and out through the long arm thereof, thereby establishing asiphonic condition within the tube to assure a constant feed of fueltherethrough into the stand-pipe and to the heater, said stand-pipeacting as a guide for the siphon tube during reciprocation thereof.

2. In combination with a heater wherein liquid fuel is burned, avertical stand-pipe open at its top having a fixed vertical mountingadjacent the heater and at its lower end a fuel feeding connectiontherewith, means for securing a portable liquid fuel drum having a topfiller opening in a fixed upright vertical position adjacent thestand-pipe, a U-shaped siphon tube comprising two spaced vertical armsof unequal, length, the long arm of said two arms being receivablewithin the stand-pipe to a level below the drum bottom and the short armbeing receivable within the top filler opening of the drum fordependency therein, and a priming pump operable by reciprocation thereofand having its upper end afiixed to the lower end of the siphon tubeshort arm and in communication therewith, said pump being adapted to bepositioned by the short arm in the drum toward its bottom and arranged,when reciprocated within the drum in response to operation of the siphontube, to lift liquid fuel therefrom for feeding through the siphon tubeand delivery through the lower end of its long arm into the stand-pipe,thereby establishing a siphonic condition within the siphon tube toassure a continuous feed of liquid fuel therethrough.

3. In combination with a heater wherein liquid fuel is burned, avertical stand-pipe open at its top having a fixed vertical mountingadjacent the heater and at its lower end a fuel feeding connectiontherewith, means for securing a portable liquid fuel drum having a topfiller opening in a fixed upright vertical position adjacent thestandpipe, a siphon tube comprising two spaced vertical arms connectedat their tops, one arm, longer than the other, being receivable withinthe stand-pipe to a level below the drum bottom and the other short armbeing receivable within the top filler opening of the drum fordependency therein, a narrow elongated drip pan fixedly secured at thestand-pipe top and formed therethrough with a hole in register therewithfor receiving the siphon tube long arm, said drip pan having ahorizontal, extent sufi'lcient to underlie the short arm of the siphontube when the short arm is swung over the drip pan and to permit theshort arm to extend beyond it when the short arm is manually swung asideabout the long arm rotatable in the stand-pipe as an axis, thereby toafford a supporting base for the siphon tube while said portable drum isbeing exchanged, said drip pan acting to collect and deliver to thestand-pipe through said hole any fuel that inadvertently issues from thesiphon tube short arm.

4. In combination with a heater wherein liquid fuel is burned, avertical stand-pipe open at its top having a fixed vertical mountingadjacent the heater and at its lower end a fuel feeding connectiontherewith, means for securing a liquid fuel drum having a top filleropening in a fixed vertical position adjacent the stand-pipe, locatingmeans coacting with the drum to fix its horizontal position, a siphontube comprising two spaced vertical arms of unequal length, the long armbeing receivable within the stand-pipe to a level below the drum bottomand the short arm being receivable within the top filler opening of thedrum for dependency therein, and a priming pump 5 operable byreciprocation thereof and having its upper end afiixed to the lower endof the siphon tube short arm and in communication therewith, said pumpbeing adapted to be positioned by the short arm in the drum toward itsbottom and arranged, when reciprocated within the drum in response tomovement of the siphon tube, to lift liquid fuel therefrom for feedingthrough the siphon tube and delivery through the lower end of its longarm into the stand-pipe, thereby establishing a siphonic condition valveto permit flow of liquid fuel into said piston slidably mounted in saidcylinder and a compression spring for yieldably urging the pistonupwardly in the cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS809,438 Galopin Ian. 9, 1906 1,082,661 Tucker Dec. 10, 1913 1,297,621White Mar. 18, 1919 1,744,738 Birnie, Jr; Jan. 28, 1930 1,856,083 SatherMay 3, 1932 2,137,469 Willson Nov. 22, 1938 2,213,521 Haeberlin Sept. 3,1940 2,473,562 Barnes June 21, 1949

